Means for continuous vulcanization of rubber goods



April! 30, 1935. L. J. CLAYTON MEANS FOR CONTINUOUS VULCANIZATION OF RUBBER GOODS Filed May 8, 1953 2 Sheets- Sh-eet l prfl 30, 1935. 1.. J. CLAYTON MEANS FOR CONTINUOUS VULCANIZATION OF RUBBER GOODS Fil'ed May 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 30, 1935 1,999,751

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR CONTINUOUS VULCANIZATION F RUBBER GOODS Lewis J. Clayton, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to Viceroy Manufacturing Company, Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 8, 1933, Serial No. 669,828 10 Claims. (01. 18-6) The principal objects of this invention are to ing emanating from the delivery side of the maenable the effective vulcanization of rubber goods chine has been coiled in pans or wound on large of indefinite length in a continuous process which steel drums and later introduced into vulcanizing will be highly economical and which may be acovens. curately regulated to suit the requirements of Such methods of handling are slow and cum- 5 products of varying size and shape. bersome and are necessarily expensive and it has A further and important object is to conserve been proposed to conduct the wire covered with the heat first applied to the rubber in forming it unvulcanized rubber from the tubing machine to shape in mill, calender, or extruding machine where the comp u is extruded p it into a by passing the goods directly from the former steam vulcanizing tube and the rubber com- 10 into the vulcanizing zone. pound is secured onto the wire in a continuous A still further object is to preserve the formaoperation. tion of the goods throughout the process and to The use of steam in such a manner involves avoid discoloration. numerous difiiculties in maintaining the proper The principal features of the invention contemperatures and in sealing the steam jacket 15 Sist in passing the formed goods through a where the wire enters and leaves the vulcanizing zone in which regulated radiant heat is directed chamber. against the rubber material to raise its tempera- The present invention proposes a novel manture to the required point and to maintain such ner of applying the necessary heat to effect the heat for the necessary period to effect vulcanizavulcanization of the rubber which will obviate the 20 tion, the heaters and the goods in passage being difiiculty hitherto encountered. enclosed within a chamber or tunnel having heat- In carrying the present invention into effect reflecting walls. in the vulcanizing of the rubber insulation of In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an wire, the general arrangement of the plant is 5 elevational view of a machine particularly adaptillustrated in Figu e the d a ed for themanufacture of rubber insulated wire. In the form of the device illustrated in Figure Figure 2 is an enlarged, part sectional elevation 1, a standard I has mounted on one side thereof of a portion of the vulcanizing tunnel and heaters a wire reel 2 from which the wire 3 extends up arranged therein. Wardly over a guide roller 6 and'is directed hori- Figure 3 is. a cross section through the vulzon ally hr ugh a dryin h r 5 m u n 30 canizing tunnel on the line 33 of Figure 2. the top of the standard and provided with suit- Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of a modified able heating equipment, preferably radiant elecform of tunnel. trio elements.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of a further Mounted adjacent to the standard I is a stand modified form of tunnel. ard 6 upon which is mounted a rubber extruding 35 Figure 6 is a diagrammatic elevation of a poror tubing apparatus I which forces the rubber tion of a form of tunnel particularly adapted for material to flow around the wire 3 as it passes vulcanizing fiat or tubular rubber strips, through the head 8.

Figure 7 is. a cross section of the tunnel shown Arranged adjacent to and in alignment with in Figure 6 taken on the line 1-1.. the insulating head 8 is a tubular casing 9 which 40 Figure B is a side elevational view showing my is supported on a plurality of standards It. The improved vulcanizing device arranged in direct casing 9 is a verysimple form of structure illusassociation witha calender. trated in Figures 2 and 3 in the form of a plu- A method for effecting the continuous vulrality of longitudinal bars I l arranged in a reccanization of rubber goods is more directly aptangular disposition and secured to the bottom plicable to the manufacture of insulated wire, but and side plates l2 and [3, the top being closed by it will be readily understood that many different a plate I4 which may or may not be hinged as forms of rubber goods which may be produced in shown. indefinite lengths may be handled with economy Each of the plates 12, I3 and M are made of by a process which enables a continuous treatthin sheet metal and are preferably highly polment and therefore constant production. ished both inside and out so that they will reflect It has been the custom in applying the rubber heat rays. insulation to wire to feed the rubber compound 'Mounted in the tubular casing 9 at suitable ininto a tubing machine which extrudes it around tervals are brackets I5 which carry the grooved the wire, and the wirewith its unvulcanized cover rollers [6 which are adapted to support the rubher-covered wire, the casing 9 being arranged in alignment with the insulating head of the tubing device so that the rubber-covered wire will extend longitudinally through the casing substantially centrally thereof.

Arranged within the casing 9 and supported on suitable brackets i1 intermediately between the rollers it, are the cylindrical screens 18. These are supported longitudinally of the casing with their axes in alignment with the insulated wire carried by the rollers it. fairly fine mesh and the wires thereof are of a black finish for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Surrounding the cylindrical screens i8 and suitably spaced therefrom are the electrical radiant heating units i9. These are preferably in helical form and are supported from suitable insulating mounts 28 carried on brackets ll extending transversely of the casing. These heaters are electrically connected'with'the bus wires 22 which extend lengthwise of the casing preferably supported in insulators 23.

The heaters it which are coiled around the cylindrical screens i3 produce waves of radiant heat which, travelling inward, are diffused by the fine wire mesh screen so as to be spread uniformly and to apply the heat waves emanating from the heaters to the rubber-covered wire 3 moving centrally through the heated area. The radiant heat waves which are directed outwardly by the heaters i9, strike the highly polished inner wall of the casing 9 and are reflected back to be absorbed by the screens i8 and to assist in the distribution of the produced heat in thecentral area.

These heaters may be spaced apart any desirable distance and the distances may vary sothat the heat may be applied gradully to bring a wire up to the required temperature in its course of travel through the tubular casing or heating tunnel.

It will be readily understood that the heaters may be brought to a maximum condition of heat to be generated within the vulcanizing chamber and an arrangement of such heaters may be provided to maintain the maximum heat required for treating the rubber-covered wire for the required distance to ensure the proper vulcanization of the rubber without it being harmfully overheated.

It is not thought necessary to show any special form of apparatus for controlling the heat of the heaters i9, but it will be readily appreciated that these may be controlled separately and their heat may be controlled individually by the use of resistances.

In the form shown in Figure 4, the tunnel is constructed of a pair of half-cylindrical members and 25. These half sections are hinged together, and the internal wall and also preferably the external wall, are highly polished to reflect the radiant heat rays.

In the form illustrated in Figure the tunnel casing is rectangular, but a different arrangement of heaters is shown in the form of small coils 26 equally spaced from each other outside of the cylindrical heat-distributing screen i8. The particular form of the heating element may be varied as also may the form of the heat tunnel, but it will be readily appreciated that by the use of radiant heat elements heat can be applied to the rubber-covered wire in a graduated manner, intensifying the heat as the wire travels onward until the maximum temperature has been reached and this can be sustained fora desired period.

They are formed of a The temperature within the tunnel may be enhanced by an atmospheric condition, if such is desirable. In the form herein shown the heating tunnel is open at the ends to atmosphere. It will be readily understood that the ends may be closed around the rubber-covered wire to enable an air pressure to be created therein, or a vacuum may be arranged if desired. It will be understood that the transmission of heat by this method is not dependent upon conduction or con- Vection.

The rubber-covered vulcanized wire passing from the vulcanizing tunnel, travels around the tension rollers 21 arranged within a casing mounted on a standard 28 and passes through a cooling casing 29, also mounted on the standard 28, the cooling being effected by a spray or by cold air jets.

The wire passes through a final drying element 3!] and is wound on a drum 3| mounted in the capstan brackets 32 supported by the standard 28.

It will be understood that this process is continuous through the entire length of any coil of wire.

In the form of the device illustrated in Figures 6 and '7, a plurality of rollers 33 arranged transversely of the vulcanizing casing, are spaced at equal distances apart and support the upper reach of an endless belt 34 formed of fine wire mesh. Between the rollers and the bottom side of the vulcanizing casing are arranged a series of electric heating elements 35 which are of any desirable construction suitable for the purpose of directing heat waves upwardly through the screen belt travelling over the rollers to have a vulcanizing effect upon a rubber strip carried by said belt.

Another set of heaters 36 is arranged a suitable distance above the belt 34 and a fine wire screen 31 is disposed between the latter heater and the upper surface of the rubber, strip carried on the belt. The radiant heat emanating from the upper and lower heaters is diifused by the interposed screening in such a way that there is a uniform distribution of heat units to the rubber which may be a flat strip taken directly from a I calender 38 as shown in Figure 8, or it may be a tube produced by a tubing machine, which tube may be cured fiat as illustrated in Figure 6, or it may be inflated, or partly so. i

If the tube is inflated a readjustment or arrangement of differing forms of heaters from that shown may be required, but the principal element is the arrangement of controllable electric heaters and screens within a tunnel and directing heat rays in regulated quantity to effect the vulcanization of the goods being employed.

What I claim as my invention is: V

1. In a continuous vulcanizing machine the combination with a tubular chamber through which the vulcanizable material is adapted to be fed in a continuous manner, of a plurality of radiant heating elements spaced longitudinally within said tubular chamber, and means disposed in the space between said radiant heating elemnts for supporting said material in a position' uniformly relative to said heaters.

2. In a means for continuously vulcanizing rubber articles, the combination with a tubular chamber through which the material to be vulcanized is adapted to be fed in strip form, of a plurality. of radiant heating elements spaced longitudinally within said'chamber and directing radiant heat rays to efiect the heating of the strip, means for supporting the strip in a position uniformly relative to said heaters, and fine wire mesh screens interposed between the heaters and the rubber material.

3. In a means for continuous vulcanization of rubber goods, the combination with a tubular casing, through which the material to be vulcanized is adapted to be fed, and means within said tubular casing for supporting the fed material in its passage therethrough, of cylindrical lengths of fine wire screening arranged between said supporting means to encircle the fed mate rial, and radiant heater coils arranged exterior to said cylindrical screens directing radiant heat through and against said screens, said screens acting to absorb and diffuse the radiant heat on the inward side in close proximity to the fed material.

4. In a means rubber goods, the combination with a rubber strip to be vulcanized, of a tunnel casing through which the strip is to be advanced having highly burnished reflective walls for encircling the rubber strip, means for supporting the formed rubber strip substantially centrally within the easing, radiant heat elements disposed at intervals within said casing and directing radiant heat to the rubber strip and to the casing walls to be reflected inwardly therefrom, and means interposed between the radiant heat elements and the central region of the highly burnished tunnel casing for effecting the substantially uniform inward diffusion of the direct and reflected radiant heat rays.

5. In a means for continuous vulcanization of rubber goods, the combination of an elongated casing of tubular form having highly burnished surfaces, fine wire mesh screen disposed in tubular form supported in spaced relation to the highly burnished casing walls and forming atunnel through which the material to be vulcanized is advanced, means for supporting the said material in substantially centralized relation to the wire screen tunnel, and electric heating coils disposed between the wire screen tunnel and the highly burnished casing wall and directing radiant heat directly onto the screen tunnel and outwardly against the burnished casing wall, said burnished casing wall serving to redirect the outward rays inwardly toward the screen tunnel.

6. In a means for continuous vulcanization of rubber articles, a tubular metal casing having highly burnished walls arranged to receive the for continuous vulcanization of rubber article to be vulcanized, an endless belt of fine wire screening operating within said reflector casing to receive and carry the rubber article through said vulcanized casing, radiant heat-dispersing elements arranged at intervals throughout the length of said reflector casing and directing radiant heat waves downwardly toward the rubber strip and upwardly against the underside of said endless belt, said wire belt acting to effectively diffuse the upwardly directed rays, and means for diifusing the downwardly directed heat rays.

7. In a means for continuous vulcanization of a rubber strip, a tubular casing of a highly polished metal having hinged sections adapted to be raised to disclose the material therein and through which a strip of rubber is to be advanced, radiant heat elements arranged within said tubular casing throughout its length, means intercepting both direct heat rays from said elements and reflected heat rays from the highly polished metal of said casing for diffusing radiant heat rays toward the central region of the casing, and means for supporting the strip centrally within said casing within said diffusing means.

8. A tunnel type of continuous vulcanizer in which a strip of vulcanizable material is advanced through the tunnel for heat treatment, characterized in the provision within the tunnel of a tubular wire mesh screen element acting as a radiant heat diifuser, and an electric heating element coiled spirally around said tubular wire mesh screen element and applying radiant heat rays thereto.

9. A vulcanizer as claimed in the preceding claim in which said tubular wire mesh screen element is of a black finish whereby it absorbs the maximum heat value from the said rays to diffuse the same inwardly.

10. In a vulcanizer for continuous strips, an elongated casing having a highly burnished cylindrical inner surface, electric heating coils mounted in a cylindrical open formation concentrically of said burnished cylindrical surface and directing radiant heat rays inwardly and also outwardly against said burnished cylindrical surface to be reflected therefrom back to the axis, means for directing a strip of material to be vulcanized axially through said electric heating coils, and a cylindrical heat-diffusing member mounted concentrically within said heating coils.

LEWIS J. CLAYTON. 

